Running On Empty
by rebanana
Summary: Prue and Piper return from a long needed 3 month trip after a family indiscretion. They come back and their family is ruined, nobody wants to talk and Paige and Phoebe are barely recognizable. Could the news be right? Was there a shooting at Baker High?
1. Home sweet prison

The wind blew through the trees of the Manor. The house was quiet. It was always quiet now. The images in her head would not go away. They haunted her mind for the past few months. They had refused to let her rest. She sat up quietly in bed. There was a time when she wasn't alone in her room, when all of her sisters were home. In the darkness, she quietly crept out of bed. Making her way down the hallway, she opened the large wooden door. She crept into the room. She snuggled next to the only warm body she had left. Her sister did not wake up, but she cuddled closer to her. She felt safer in the bed next to her sister than anywhere else. However, no matter how safe she felt, she couldn't hide from the pain and fear.

A jeep pulled up to the Manor. Within the jeep, two young women sat staring up at the manor. Prue got ready to get out, but Piper remained still.

"Piper, it'll be fine. What are you afraid of?"

Piper didn't respond at first.

"I'm afraid they'll hate at us," Piper finally said.

"What? Piper, why?" Prue looked at her sister.

"We've been gone for three months, Prue. We didn't even call."

Piper looked at her sister for the first time.

"It's was two months, Piper. Honey, there's nothing to be worried about, they might be a little mad, but they love us. Don't worry," Prue said with a smile. She took her sister's hand and they began to walk up the steps, "plus, if they hate us we'll go find a new family."

"Where? at Home Depot."

"No, silly," Prue said as they got to the door. "At K-mart"

Despite her jokes, Prue was scared too. She was afraid of what her family would say. More specifically what her sisters would say. However, though both of them were scared, Prue knew he didn't regret leaving the Manor. She and Piper had left for good reason. Though she hated leaving her sisters, Prue left because she couldn't understand the hypocrisy within her household, mostly with their parents.

"Should we knock?" Piper asked awkwardly.

"I don't know," Piper said. "Let's go in."

Piper walked into the house first. She was bold when she was scared. The girls timed their arrival at dinner time to make sure there were people home. They knew that to be there when their family returned it would awkwardly inconvenient than it would have been if they walked in on them dduring dinner.

The house wasn't spotless, but it wasn't dirty. There were duffels and back packs at the door. The house was quiet. The only time the Manor was quiet at home was when it was empty, or so Prue and Piper remembered it. The house was quiet. Suddenly, a voice rang out from the kitchen.

"Phoebe?"

Prue and Piper lit up. Paige. Their care free baby sister. The sister who they could count on to never hold a grudge. However, as they came into the kitchen immediately they noticed something different about her. She was older. Most of all PaigeÕs arm was in a sling. The girls ran up to her.

"What happened?"

"Are you alright?"

Questions began to toss into the air, but Paige had yet to respond. She was too shocked. She pulled away from her sisters.

"Where did you come from?" Paige asked more surprised than angry.

"We just got back," Prue said quietly.

Paige shook her head, her anger beginning to surface. She forced her anger back down. She gave a weak smile and pulled her sisters into a hug.

"I hate you for leaving, but you have no idea how glad I am that you're back," she whispered through her tears.

As they hugged, Piper noticed the cutting board with celery on it. The stove had some pasta cooking. However, it all looked like only enough for one. Piper pulled away. The Halliwell family always ate together. No excuses. Their father made only three rules: respect your family, never go to bed angry, and never leave your place empty at the dinner table. 

"Where is everyone?" Piper asked skeptically.

"Out."

"Are you eating alone?"

"It's no big deal; everyone eats alone now." Paige dished up her plate. "Welcome home."

Paige started to head up the stairs, but Piper called out to her.

"Paige, what's happened around here?"

"Too much. You guys have missed too much."

Prue and Piper watch their sister go upstairs. They left their family without a word two months ago in anger. They never thought they would return to a family they didn't even know.

What the hell is going on?" Prue asked as she paced into the living room. "We weren't gone that long."

"Yes, we were."

"Still, look at this place," Prue said with disgust.

The living room and parlor were messier than usual. They hadn't noticed the jackets and have empty glasses scattered throughout the room. As Piper glanced around the house, she could not help but think that her family was the way it was because she and Prue had left. However, the thought only passed through for only a few seconds. She began to collect the dirty dishes around the movie.

"We've only seen Paige, Piper," Prue said gently as she followed Piper back into the kitchen. "Maybe things really aren't that bad."

"No, there's something wrong, Prue. I mean it's 7:30 and Paige is like the only one home.

"Mom and dad are probably out to dinner, and you know Phoebe she's seventeen, she's entitled to some partying." It was important to Prue to make her sister believe this story, but Piper didn't believe it and neither did she.

"I want to ask Paige what's going on." Piper said, starting up the stairs, but her older sister stopped her.

"You know she isn't going to tell you, it isn't even worth trying. We'll just ask mom and dad when they get back." Prue picked up some books that lay on the floor and headed towards the kitchen.

"I guess we should make dinner, it's no use waiting for mom and dad if they're out." Piper said, heating up the stove. "So do you think mom and dad are going to kick us out?" She asked, while pouring some macaroni into a pot.

"No, they may be mad, but they still love us."

"I hope so," Piper closed her eyes and let the scent of macaroni fill around her, "I really do."

Paige had lied when she said no one was home but her, her mom was in her room, taking the longest nap known to man. Patty Halliwell had been in her room for four days straight, crying and sleeping her way through. Paige was worried about her mother's state; it had all started when her father left the house for a while. She still had no clue where he was. Her life was a disaster, ever since the accident, ever since… She couldn't think about it anymore, the best thing for her to do was push it out of her mind and just make it leave. The problem was, she couldn't get rid of it from her self-conscious mind. Her dreams were poisoned with its very existence; she couldn't get away. Paige didn't have time to worry about her older sister, Phoebe. No one did anymore, not even their mom. There were nights when Phoebe came home drunk, barely able to walk and no one cared. Actually, it wasn't that no one cared; it was that they were too preoccupied with healing themselves, trying to get some bills paid. Paige couldn't help but feel angry with them, hadn't they heard? They had to have; it was all over the news. She thought that her two older sisters had betrayed her, left her to fend on her own.

A few hours later, downstairs Prue was cleaning up the kitchen table when she noticed keys dangling from the key hook. She scanned her memory and recalled seeing her mother's car in the drive.

"Hey, Piper. I think Moms home."

"Prue, she's probably out in Dads car," Piper said without looking up.

Prue went over to the recycling and saw the overflowing mail pile. Before she dropped the old papers in her hand in the box, she noticed the handfuls of letters and cards. As Prue pulled them out, she noticed one of the cabinets were open. She tried to shut it; it wouldn't. Setting the pile of letters and cards down on the table, she opened the cabinet. There was a box in the way. Why would anyone keep a box in the butler's closet? She pulled out the box and sat down with it on the table. The letters were all sympathy letters. They were all letters from old women that used to live next door, from people all over the country. They were all saying how sorry they were and how their hearts were with the family and especially Phoebe and Paige. However, they didn't say why.

"What are those?" Piper asked as she handed Prue a glass of water.

"I don't know. Something definitely happened while we gone, Piper. Something to the girls."

Prue took a sip of water and went to the box. Just as she was about to open it, the back door opened. The girls looked up to see Phoebe come in. She wasn't even coming in quietly. She slammed the outside door in the laundry room. She didn't se the point; no matter how loud she was, no one would ever hear her, or so she thought. She didn't notice her sisters sitting at the table. She stopped when she say her sisters.

"What are you doing he-re?" she slurred slightly at the end.

"Are you drunk?" Piper asked bluntly.

"Yo-u didn't answer my que-s-tion," Phoebe asked as she walked over to sisters.

"How much have you had to drink?"

"Seven beers and three shots," Phoebe said clearly.

"You should be out like a light," Prue said.

"Well, if you drink enough and persistently, you learn to hold your liquor," Phoebe shot back calmly and clearly as if she was completely sober. "Good night."

As the girls watched in shock as Phoebe left, they couldn't help see her limp slightly as she walked up the stairs. Prue shook her head. Something was definitely going on. She returned to the box in front of her and opened it. It was newspaper clippings, magazine articles.

"Oh my God," Piper muttered.

"How could we have missed this?" Prue asked.

The newspapers in front of them were from all over the area and all over the country. "Shooting at California High School killed 18 and wounded 4." " Shooting at Baker High School" "Guns Shoot Again" The list went on forever. There were clippings from everywhere. Piper picked up an article and skimmed it. However, two names shot out.

"Listen to this, 'Though most of the students were able to safely exit the school, Phoebe and Paige Halliwell had heaven on their side when they were both critically wounded in the shooting.' Prue, how did we not know?" Piper asked as she put her head in her hands.

Prue's eyes were stilled glued to the page, never taking them off two words. It hardly made sense anymore, nothing did. "I-I can't, believe this. It can't be true." She felt the tears come to her eyes, but did not let them fall.

"What else does it say?" Piper asked in concern.

Prue handed her sister the whole article, unable to speak.

History Repeats itself; Highschool shooting in San Francisco 

The students at Baker Highschool started what was thought of as a normal day, but tragedy would soon strike. At 12:34 am, Mr. Jack Allester's class heard bangs throughout the hallways and screaming. Allester left his classroom to address the commotion that was being caused. Instead of a minor brawl, he found five masked students with guns held up to several students' heads. Allester tried to calmly get the students to put down the gun, but he was shot in the chest. In the hallway were sisters, Phoebe and Paige Halliwell with their classmates, Lena Savorian, Alexander Banker, Tyler Aryoll, Daniel Xo, and Tessa Martins. Two students had already been shot dead when they tried to run and tell principal, Matt J Wayner. Sophomore, Myra Rodriquez, and junior, Zachary Renolds were the first students to be pronounced dead. The seven students in the hall were being held hostage in the hallway by the shooters, when they saw another four students, Seniors André Tennis, Anthony Robinson, Freshman Kayla Josephs, and Junior Dalton Thomas killed. In addition to the six, twelve more students were shot in the savage chaos including, freshman Daniel Xo, Alyssa Benson, Skyler Jensen, Kelly Wayner, Seniors Lena Savorian, Daniel Matts, Rachel Muscovitz, Sophomores Wagner Wilson, May Li Anson, Alison Kayes, Juniors Yvonne Sarovich, and Timothy Levine. Most of the other students and teachers safely got out of the school, but the Halliwells, Alexander Banker, Tyler Aryoll, and Tessa Martins, still were trapped with the killers. Those students were maimed, and beat several times. Phoebe Halliwell was shot in the left leg, her sister; Paige Halliwell was shot in her right shoulder, and Tessa Martins was shot in the arm. Luckily, these students had heaven on their side, and none of them were killed. The paramedics and police arrived at 1:45 pm. One teacher, and fourteen students were pronounced dead. Four students died in the hospital. The police brought students, juniors Karey Jerickson, Michelle Calliro, freshman Damien Markson, and senior Lester Westward into custody. Lester Westward was believed to be the ringleader of the five students who had formed an alliance against the school. The four students who had been seriously injured were rushed to the Bay Area Hospital in critical condition. Miraculously all four survived, but none wished to comment on the subject. Principal Wayner whose daughter, Kelly died in the tragic event had some thoughts about the deaths and the killer's punishments.

Cont pg 4a

Piper could not begin to react to what they had just read. And that had only been a small part of the whole event. Her sisters had gone through so much when they were gone; she instantly hated herself for leaving. After a long period of silence, Prue spoke up.

"I think we need to go see mom."

Piper looked at her sister quizzically, her heart breaking for her baby sisters, but she would be strong like Prue, she had to. "I-I thought mom was out."

"Her car is in the driveway." Prue said simply and lead Piper up the stairs. Prue didn't even try to knock on her mother's closed door; she turned the knob quickly, it was locked. Piper handed Prue a bobby pin and watched her sister pick the lock the way Phoebe had taught her. Piper was afraid to go in, she was afraid of what she would find. Never the less, she tiptoed in behind Prue.

The first thing Piper saw was darkness, and once her eye's adjusted to the darkness, she saw closed shades with some slits of light that hadn't been covered, and a small figure curled up in their parent's large bed.

"Mom?" Piper choked, trying her best not to cry.

Prue ran up to the bed, and uncovered the figure. "Mom?" She asked her voice cracked in the darkness.

Patty moved farther into her bed, but opened her eyes. In the light of the slats, Prue saw her mother's pale face and tear stricken eyes.

"Mommy," Piper reverted to using her childish ways. Prue turned on the lights, and Patty shielded her eyes.

"No one said you could come back here. Or leave for that matter." There was Patty's voice, scratchy and exhausted, it seemed to dim the entire room.

"Mom, we're so sorry, but we need to know what's going on." Prue said, a tear streaming down her cheek. She hugged their mother who surprisingly let her hug back.

Patty was hysterical now, "It-it would've been so much easier with you." Prue rocked her mother back and forth, something she thought she would never have to do. Piper stood there crying.

"Why the hell did you leave?" She was angry now, but not angry enough to let go of her daughters.

Paige looked in the mirror of the bathroom. The light of it reflected around her face, but the rest of the room was dark. She had always been the palest Halliwell, but now she looked ghostly. Sometimes other people thought she was a ghost. They would look at her as if she wasn't really there; she was a shell of a girl. School used to be a social time for her, joking with her friends and carelessly falling asleep in class. But now she went through school everyday as if in a trance, did papers and homework without using her mind, and failed every class. She didn't care anymore, and all of her friends that had left the school in time, they were afraid to talk to her, afraid that she would breakdown in front of them and they wouldn't know what to do.

Paige lay on the cold tiles of the bathroom floor, looking at the white ceiling. She closed her eyes and imagined herself falling, falling in an endless pit. She fell and fell until she couldn't breathe anymore.

"Paige!" Piper kneeled down next to her sister, "Paige honey."

She sat up abruptly and gave Piper an empty look that sent shivers up her spine. Her voice had no particular tone to it, "I knew you would come here and try to make us all happy again, but it won't work. We'll never be your beloved family again."

Piper looked down at Paige's shoulder and noticed a sling on it for the first time.

"Paige, talk to me."

"No one in this family has expressed their feelings for a month. Why do you think I would express mine to a complete and total stranger?" Paige's words made Piper's heart break in half.

"Paige, we were only gone for three months."

"A lifetime can happen in three months, Piper." Paige says, patting Piper on the back with her good arm.

"Paige, why don't you tell me what's going on?" Piper sat across from Paige, looking the youngest straight in the eyes.

"Piper, why don't you tell me why you guys left?" Paige said mockingly.

"I can't." Piper said, sadly, she didn't want Paige to be any more depressed than she already was.

"Then I can't tell you what's going on with me. It goes both ways Piper." It seemed to Piper that Paige had lost all of her innocence because of the shooting.

"We know about the shooting." Prue stood by the edge of the door, leaning on the wooden frame.

Paige laughed bitterly, "I was beginning to think you had dropped off the face of the earth or something."

"Paige, stop, we're worried!"

"Well if you were so worried why didn't you come back?" Piper heard Paige's voice crack a tiny bit, but she held on. "You didn't think about what would happen to us if you left."

"But you have mom and dad!" Prue argued.

"Not anymore."

Prue looked at her sister. She knelt down in front of her. Her eyes were fierce and determined. She was going to fix this. She looked at her little sister, her fifteen-year-old sister. Her eyes were lost. But no matter how lost, she could see that her sisters were still trying to play some sort of game. She wasn't going to open up to them; she wasn't going to tell her anything. Paige never had any trouble standing her ground, but it seemed that she was not going to tell her sisters anything until she had someone on her side.

"What do you mean, Paige?" Prue asked gently.

"She means that everyone is too wrapped up in their own pain help us each other," Phoebe said from behind her three sisters.

She looked at her sister leaning against the bathtub. Piper sat on the edge of the tube next to her and Prue knelt in front of her. Phoebe just shook her head.

"Look around you, Mom's been in her room for weeks. I've given in on her."

"Where's Dad?" Piper asked,

"He doesn't live here anymore," Paige said bluntly and sadly.

"He lives in the city with his girlfriend, Kate. He and mom are fighting for custody," Phoebe said as she sat against the doorframe. "He moved out . . . a few days after you guys left. He and Mom tried calling Grams at her Boston camp, being that that's where you guys said you were . . . but she wasn't there."

"That's no exactly true. Is it?" Paige asked. " You were there its just Grams and you guys didn't want to talk to us."

"We had no idea you called," Piper said. "Grams never told us."

"But there's a reason why Grams didn't want to talk to us," Phoebe said. "And you left us out in the dark. We're still in the dark."

Phoebe got up and walked away. They watched her leave. Phoebe hadn't shed a tear. Her face remained unreadable. Prue couldn't even read her. After she left there was an uncomfortable silence.

"I'm glad you're home," Paige said suddenly. "Phoebe is too. She just has her own stuff to deal with."

"How about you?" Piper asked.

"I'm fine," Paige said.

"We had no idea you called," Piper said. "Grams never told us."

She stood up and left the room.

The night breathed gently around the Manor. Prue tossed in her bed. She was looked over at Phoebe. She and Piper had to share rooms with their sisters. Phoebe had been quiet and had refused to talk about it. Why?

Voices floated in her head, voices from that day. Phoebe tossed in her bed. The images began to appear more real. Kayla's face stared at her in horror on last time. Then a shot rang out. Blood spread over the floor and Kayla's dead body lie motionlessly with her eyes staring up at Phoebe. Her eyes were the same as they were when she was alive, they were pleading. Those eyes wouldn't go away.

Phoebe shot up in the darkness in horror. She was scared. Prue could see that in the moonlight. She could feel it. Prue didn't know what to do, but she sat up to comfort. However, as she did, Phoebe immediately remembered she had company in her bed. She lay back down and turned against her sister. Prue reached out and gently touched her back, but only to have her pull away.

The next morning the house was quiet. Prue woke up to an empty bed. Saturday, she thought. She listened. There was no sound. Prue glanced at the clock. It was eight o'clock in the morning. Where was everyone? She crept down the hallway to Paige and Piper's room. Piper was still in bed, but Paige wasn't there.

As she crept down stairs there was no noise, no life. The house remained silent for two hours. Prue cleaned and organized in the meantime. Finally, the front door creaked open. Piper and Prue rounded the corner to see Paige coming through the door.

"Where the hell were you?"

"At the gym," Paige said casually.

"Hi, tell anyone much?" Prue asked in frustration.

"Do you see anyone around here who would miss me?"

"What about us?" Piper asked somewhat hurt.

"You've only been here a few days."

Paige pushed past her sisters with her duffle on her shoulder and went into the kitchen.

"Paige!" Piper called after her now irritated. She was done being sorry and sad. "Where is Phoebe?"

"How should I know?" Paige mumbled.

"This is going to stop!" Piper finally screamed out in frustration causing her sister to stop in shock. "You aren't going to go anywhere without telling us where you're going. Got it? Good. How did you get to the gym? You don't have a license. Oh, and this is gong to stop. You have to respect us."

"Fuck you and your respect," Paige said quietly.

"What did you say?' Prue asked now also angry.

Before Prue could get her answer, the door opened. Victor walked in with ease. He was surprised to see his elder girls, but didn't say anything. He went to hug them, but Prue pulled away. He shook his head, embarrassed that he even tried.

"Paige, you ready to go?"

"Go where?" Piper asked.

"I have to tell them where I go now," Paige said annoyed, she turned to Piper. "It's Saturday. I have time with Dad."

"How dare you let this happen to our family!" Prue said to her father. "How could you just leave?"

"If I recall, Prudence that's what you wanted me to do," Victor said casually. "You ready to go, Paige?"

"What about Phoebe?" Prue asked.

"Phoebe and I do mornings at Denny's." Victor softened his voice. "She's holding on, okay. I'm not going to push her, just like I never pushed you girls. You're welcome to join us."

"Thanks, we'll pass," Prue said.

"Suit yourself," Victor shrugged and chauffeured Paige out the door.

As soon as the door closed, Prue made her disgust apparent. "It's embarrassing to be his daughter." She said, walking into the kitchen.

"Yeah. It's funny, just when you thought you knew someone…" Piper said slowly.

"Well I think that applies to our whole family. It's like I don't know them you know?"

"Yeah, we grew up here too. We lived with them for our whole lives, and then we leave for three months and everything changes." Piper sighed, taking out a pot and a pan. "I'm going to try to make dinner for the whole family."

"Well, good luck with trying to get everyone to eat with you." Prue said, and began to walk toward the door, "I need to catch up on some sleep. I'll see ya later, Pipe."

Piper watched her older sister walk out the door. She could see something in her sister's eyes, wounded pride. Prue had always been like the third parent to everyone in the family. She had always been more mature than the rest, and eager to help. She knew it hurt, she felt the pain herself, but Prue no longer had control or power, or even a comfort factor with her younger sisters. They seemed to be more and less mature, it was scary. Piper felt like she was getting to know them all over again. She took out a piece of chicken from the microwave that had been defrosted. She wiped a stray brown hair out of her face, as she cut the salad and thought about everything. Everything wouldn't get out of her head, the shooting, and the horrible things that her sisters had gone through. There were eighteen kids that died; they must have been Phoebe and Paige's friends, acquaintances, and enemies. She thought back to the article, all those names on one sheet of paper, their significance fading in.

When Piper was a lot younger, she would sit on Victor's lap every night and watch the news. The first time father and daughter had started this ritual; there had been a car bombing in Israel. The anchorwoman read each name of the people off the list like it wasn't big, like, she didn't even care. Piper remembered her young eyes going wide in fear, the pain of all those people mixed in with her own. She remembered running out of the room when they showed pictures of the bomb going off in the night sky; she cried all night. Victor was reluctant to let Piper watch the news with him again, but for some reason, Piper pleaded. That time, she and Prue watched it. Piper remembered Prue and her father watching tragedies go by, and they didn't sniffle, not even a tear. She didn't know how they could be so numb to the pain, fear, and hatred of other people. But she herself had learned to become numb, as did Paige and Phoebe. But now, the whole ordeal was different.

Piper wiped a tear away from her cheek. It was different when you knew someone in the tragedy, different when it affected you personally.

"Hey." Piper jumped in the air, her hear beating quickly.

"Phoebe, you scared me."

"Seems like I scare everyone these days." Phoebe said, giving Piper a half-hearted smile.

"Not like that, you know." Piper said.

"Yeah." Phoebe suddenly clutched her head, and moaned; Piper rushed over to her.

"Phoebe, what's wrong?"

Phoebe stopped moaning and shrugged her shoulders, "Piper, it's alright. Since, well, you know what, the doctor said I would get these headaches. You can't do anything about them, Piper, they're not curable."


	2. Fighting Alone

"God, I'm so sorry." Piper looked at her sister with genuine woe.

For a second Phoebe felt a flicker of sympathy for Piper rush through her body. She waved it away. She loved Piper, and always did. Piper was the one who had comforted her through hard times, but she couldn't talk anymore. She just couldn't.

Piper didn't know what to say, she felt on the surface that there was nothing to say, but she knew deep down she wanted to ask Phoebe questions. Piper hugged Phoebe as hard as she could, and stroked her damp brown hair. "I promise I'm never going to leave you again, Phoebe." She whispered into her sister's ear.

"It's okay," Phoebe said in a cracked voice, pulling away from Piper, "I have to go."

Phoebe ran upstairs and into the closet that had given her peace for three months. She was seeing things again. She heard a gunshot and breathed hard in the darkness. The old closet was filled with out dated clothes and a mothball smell, but no one went in there, and no one noticed the smell of beer either. Phoebe fell to the floor, her head being brushed by her mother's dress. She felt like she was back at the crime scene, her leg pulsing in pure agony. Phoebe could see his smiling, dimpling face again, smell his strong cologne, she almost felt his skin, warm against hers. His voice rumbled slowly, and made her feel safe, "Phoebe, go! I'll handle this." The voice rang out in her ears. It happened so fast; she didn't have time to blink. One minute he was there, warning her and the next he was on the floor gasping for breath. It only took a minute for him to die. Her legs gave out underneath her and she toppled to the floor, on top of the dead boy, on top of her boyfriend, Tim.

Phoebe's breaths were husked and fast, she felt her heart in tatters. The darkness went into her head, and through her eyes. She screamed inaudibly, opening her eyes so the images wouldn't float past. Taking a can of beer, she chugged it, and sucked until the last drop.

She took another beer out and let the smell of it float up her nose. She felt sick and revitalized at the same time. One beer was a lot of alcohol for even a seventeen year old, but her body had gotten used to having at least three at once. She drank another one, it's putrid smell and taste filling her mouth, and mildly burning her taste buds. The putrid bubbles hit the back of her mouth, seemed to be attacking it, but she still swallowed; something that would make anyone's organs shudder. Phoebe's urge was to throw up but she was strong and weak at the same time.

She drank more and more, sitting in the extreme dark of the closet until she passed out.

Prue dragged her mother out of bed and looked at the lifeless form that stood before her, "Mom you have to snap out of this!"

"What's the point?" Patty asked tiredly.

"Mom you always told me never to give up. What kind of example are you setting?"

Patty sighed and shrugged her shoulders; "Maybe you would feel the same way if your life crashed down on you in one shatter."

"Mom, I think we're beginning to feel that shatter. You're not the family you used to be. We love you though, we'll never give up on you, and I guess that's what makes us different."

Patty's eyes were fiery, "How dare you talk to me like that Prudence! After leaving for so long. You have no right to tell me what I should or should not be doing."

"Fine mom, but I'm not going to leave again. I guess from now on I'll be the mother of the family, and I will make this work!" Prue's blue eyes sparkled angrily and defiantly as she slammed the door shut. She looked at the wood, "And maybe one day, I'll get through to you too."

Paige walked up to the door of the manor, waving goodbye to her father. She didn't exactly love spending time with him, but it was better than what awaited her at the manor. When she was with him, she felt like father and daughter, instead of totally screwed up and alone. She wouldn't give that up for anything in the world. Of course, now Prue and Piper were back and they were going to try to make everything perfect. That was inevitable on Prue's part. Sometimes Paige thought that they actually might do it, but other days her cynical side took over and wondered, how could they? Her cynical side had been popping up more and more often. She was always some sort of a cynic, but not a downright disgusting pessimistic one. This side of her definitely weirded her out, and if she were another person, she too wouldn't want to be friends with her anymore. Or Phoebe. But Phoebe did have a social life, even after the shooting. She dropped all of her cheery sleepover gal friends and got drug addicts and party animals in exchange. Paige hated to feel bad for herself, so instead she felt bad for Phoebe and now Piper and Prue. Phoebe lost herself almost entirely. Sometimes Paige thought that there was still a part of the old her left, but it was buried deep within her layers. Everyday she would pray for it to come out, but it never made a guest appearance.

"Paige! What are you doing sitting outside, its freezing!" Prue was referring to the below fifty weather.

"I'm thinking."

"Come on in,"

Paige looked as if she was thinking of fighting Prue, but she shrugged her shoulders; as if maybe she could get the piece back little by little by obeying Prue.

The warm air hugged her like an old friend when she entered. Paige looked at her sister's eyes; they were angry and sad. Paige hugged her for a long time.

Piper seeing them smiled and ran down the stairs. She watched her sisters for a little bit, but then saw she had to interrupt them. "Guys, have you seen Phoebe?"

"Go check in the closet between the bathroom and mom's room." Paige said. She knew Phoebe's secret, her hiding place for her beer. She thought it was about time to tell her sisters, not that they could talk Phoebe out of it. It was funny how Phoebe thought no one knew about it. In a sense no one did know. Paige was no one.

"Thanks Paige!" She said cheerfully and ran upstairs. She wouldn't be cheerful when she found Phoebe though.

Piper stopped in front of the closet door and wondered what her sister was doing there. She was afraid to open the door, but she figured she had to, and how bad could it be figuring all that she had found out this week? She opened it quickly with an edging creek of the door. She felt sick to her stomach when she saw her sister. Her hair was sprawled out on the hard wood floors. Her stomach churned especially when she saw the bottle of beer next to Phoebe's open hand. Piper knelt down next to Phoebe and grazed her hand past her sister's cheek. Her thin face was warm and flushed, and Piper, in a worried frenzy reached down to Phoebe's wrist for a pulse. She let out the breath she wasn't aware she had been holding when she felt a faint beat. Piper turned Phoebe on her side like she was taught to and screamed for Prue and Paige, and anyone who would listen.


	3. Don't just stand there! Call 911!

"What were you doing out there, bug?" Prue asked as she poured Paige a glass of orange juice.

"Nothing just---''

The two were interrupted by Piper's scream for them from upstairs. Prue sped up the stairs with Paige slowly behind her. Prue followed Piper's voice and was shocked at what she found.

"Oh, my God," she muttered. "Paige! Call 911! What happened? How long has she been like this?"

"I don't know I just found her," Piper responded frantically.

Suddenly, the two were aware of Paige's presence. She was leaning against the closet's doorframe. Prue looked at her angrily.

"Why aren't you calling 911?" she practically yelled.

"Just put her back and bed and check on her to make she -she isn't dead," Paige said quietly.

Prue looked at her skeptically. She tilted her head. What was going on?

"No, that's it! Paige, call 911."

"No!"

Throughout all this yelling, Piper carried Phoebe to her bed.

"Paige, what is your problem? She needs help don't you see that?" Piper asked.

"Of course, I've seen that. I've seen it since the day I saw her after the shooting. You cannot just walk back into our lives and take back your places. You lost those places when you walked out. If you call 911 authorities will get notified we'll be separated. You and Piper might not care about that but I do. I can't let that happen. You're not in charge here anymore, Prue."

"Paige—''

"No! I've had it! I've had it with you telling me that things will get better. Like before, I was just sitting on the porch and you butt in. We've been doing fine on our own. We've been taking care of ourselves just fine. We don't need your help." Paige took a deep breath. " Just put her to bed and let her sleep."

Prue and Piper looked at each other in shock. However, only long enough for Prue to collect herself before she ran after Paige.

"Paige, stop," Prue's voice was gentler. "Do you want to talk?"

"No, I don't want to talk," Paige said angrily. "You cannot fix this, Prue. Face it. This is how things are, and if you don't like them leave. You never seem to have a problem with that."

Paige slammed her door in Prue's face leaving Prue stunned. For the first time, Prue's confidence was gone. Perhaps she couldn't fix this.

Paige stared out the window. Prue didn't understand. She couldn't fix this. She couldn't make things right. The fact of the matter was that Paige wasn't mad about Prue leaving. Her sisters' departure was really the least of her problems. However, it seemed like a good outlet for her anger. It was the easy thing to blame. She really hadn't even felt abandoned. Quite, frankly she didn't even know if she missed them. All she knew was her friend was dead and her sister was a drunk, her father was gone and her mother had given up. Her sisters weren't her problem anymore. So why did she keep blaming them?

Prue watched Piper from the door care to Phoebe. This wasn't right, but Paige was right she couldn't fix this easily. She needed help. She picked up the phone in the hall and dialed the only one whom she knew would get her started.

"Hey Andy, this is Prue. I need to see you. . . . I know . . . Things have been happening . . . I need to know what's happened. I need to fix this."


	4. Bottled Sorrow and Hate

**Hello (few) people who read this! This is Becca, one of the authors (rebanana), we finally updated (me and the other awesome author, Teeny). And we hope you'll like it. If you'll remember the last part was when she was dialing Andy's telephone. I hope I can get more to you guys soon (I sadly injured my hand during softball, but luckily I can still type). Please review, review, review.**

**And thank you to all our reviewers, we appreciate it. (hehe saying it's the best teen fic u've ever read really is a big honor, The-Cheese-Fairy, also you guys have requested their ages, prue- 23 piper- 21 phoebe- 17 paige-15)**

**Enjoy.**

Her heart was pulsing quickly within her. She conscientiously tapped her foot in the few seconds she didn't hear a voice. "Please, please come on! I need you." She whispered into the phone. Piper flashed her an odd look, one of shocked nature that Prue herself was pleading for someone. Prue heard a voice from the phone, his voice, his voice!

"Hello this is Andy Trudeau, please leave a message at the tone and I'll try to get back to you soon as possible." She let out a sizable cry, and hung up the phone. She could feel the sadness come up to her throat, threatening to leave tears. "Suck it up," She told herself silently.

Piper hated seeing one of the only strong people in her life break down. First it was her mother, now Prue? A year ago, she could've never seen this happening. Never could've seen her responsible respected mother become a recluse, her father becoming a deadbeat dad… Never could've seen her strong fierce older sister become weak with one breath…. She never would've seen her baby sisters, Phoebe and Paige, of all people, to become alcoholics and withdrawn from the whole world. The truth was, not even a psychic could've seen it coming; it was a perfect family turned horribly dysfunctional. Piper just started to realize that perfect would never be real.

She turned to Prue, and gave her the support she needed. Enveloping her in a hug, Piper let her big sister cry into her shoulder until she was out of tears. Prue was trying to stop crying, but she couldn't, not after Andy wasn't there. He was her only hope of trying to clean this up, and he had abandoned her. Prue thought that saying something would help stop it all, "I-is Phoebe o-o-oka-y-y?' She asked, bursting into hysterics at the sound that came out of her mouth.

Piper felt tears seeping out of her own eyes, but she needed to be strong for Prue, as Prue had done for her all those years. "She's fine, Prue, she's got a pulse, turned on her side, and looks as if she's going to be conscious any minute now."

Prue only nodded and sniffed, getting herself together, before any more bottled emotions showed themselves. "Y-you should get her a-a trashcan. By how much she's drunk she's going to be sick." She wiped her eyes, only succeeding in making them redder.

Piper moved the trash can towards Phoebe's side and then looked Prue straight in the eyes, "Why do you act like you weren't just crying?"

"W-what do you mean, Piper?" She asked her sister shakily. She closed her eyes tightly. She didn't want to be probed like this, "Piper, just leave me alone." She said more gruffly than she had meant.

"I'm _sorry_." She said in a snappy tone and sat beside Phoebe's drooping body, and ran her hand across her sister's pale forehead. "You know, this is hard for me too." She whispered.

"Oh god, Pipe, I didn't mean it that way. I just- just don't think this is the time to talk about my feelings right now. I think we should be talking about Phoebe and Paige, you know?" She draped a soft wool blanket over Phoebe's side.

Phoebe suddenly stirred; Prue took in a breath. She knew that once Phoebe was fully awake things weren't going to get better; they were going to be hard. Phoebe opened her eyes and was surprised to see her sisters in the room.

"What are you doing in here?" She asked as she said up slowly, obviously feeling a little nauseated.

"We found you, you—''

"You've got to be kidding me," Phoebe mumbled to herself as she stood up, swaying slightly.

Piper reached out to hold her steady but Phoebe pulled her away.

"Phoebe," Prue said gently.

"Don't touch me. You have no right."

"Now hold on just a second," Piper said firmly. "Calm down. We're here to help you."

"Help me? Help me? What makes you think I need help?" Phoebe yelled angrily as she grabbed a sweatshirt.

"Are you serious?" Piper asked in disbelief, it was then that she lost it. "Phoebe, look around you! Look at yourself! You can't honestly tell me you're fine! That's bullshit!"

Phoebe looked at her, surprised but still angry.

"You need help, Phoebe," Prue said

"We all need help, Prue," Phoebe spat back. When she saw Paige in the doorframe, her eyes softened. "Don't try to fix things."

Phoebe walked over to her closet. And stared in disbelief. She looked through boxes in the back and shelves, but it was all gone. All of her booze was gone. She felt an unadulterated loathing toward Prue and Piper.

"What have you done? Where is it all?"

"I threw it away," Piper said simply.

"Are you kidding me?"

"No, Phoebe," Prue finally stepped in. "This needs to be done."

"Don't tell me what needs to be done, Prue. You cannot waltz in here after all this time and think you can pick of the pieces so easily." Phoebe swayed slightly. "I don't need your help."

"You obviously do."

"And what do you think you can fix, Prue? Huh?"

"You can't possibly be happy like this, Phoebe," Piper said.

Phoebe looked at Paige.

"You know what? I'm not happy. But nothing is ever going to change that. So what you try, it's going to help." Phoebe looked up at Paige who looked back mutually. "We don't need you here. Maybe Paige might want you here, but I don't. If you're going to be trying to fix things, you're just trying to get away from dealing with the problems that you have, the problems that made you leave. I don't want you here. Paige and I are fine we take care of ourselves."

"Are you kicking us out?" Piper asked in disbelief.

There was a pause that settled upon them. Phoebe held Paige's look once more before she answered.

"Yes, I am. Get out." Phoebe shot them one more look of hatred before running to the bathroom and throwing up.


	5. Don't do this to me Dont do this to your...

**Hi people! Teeny has decided to start another story, but work on this at times, so it's mostly just me, I encourage you to find Teeny's other story again, because she's a great writer! Anyways, ya'll ready for another DRAMATIC chapter of ROE? DUN DUN DUN! Announcer voice In last weeks chapter, the girls were kicked out of their home by their own sisters, what will they do now, without a home?**

**Brooklyn Turner- Why thank you for those lovely compliments! I always love a reviewer who loves my work that much, so don't ever stop being cool! Yay! And keep on reading for MORE DRAMA!**

**The-Cheese-Fairy- What happened in the school will be filled in as times go by, mostly when school starts back up for Paige and Phoebe, because it was a vacation. There are also going to be more characters introduced that will add more story. It's like a puzzle piece… Thanks for the reviews!**

**Who-Will-Change-The-World- Whew, long name! Thanks, I shall update more often ;-)**

**Andy20- Fixing? What does that mean…**

**I happy that I have more reviewers, and don't worry cheese fairy, Andy will show up sometime, just be patient for the andy-liciousness, and if you really want andylicious, than see my other story, d&d.. andy… -sigh-**

**Anyways thanks for the reviews, and finally, what you've all been waiting for:**

They were reluctant to pack their bags, but the look Phoebe gave them was so full of contempt, they couldn't help but rush it all. They didn't have anywhere to go, and officially, they were homeless. Prue felt like she had to run across the foyer and call 911, and help her sisters. But they would just hate her more. Throwing her bags into the car, Piper got into the passengers seat and looked at Prue, whose eyes were stone cold.

"What are we going to do?" Piper asked, tears streaming down her face, but Prue stayed serious, her eyes on the same place on the road. "Prue! Listen to me!" Piper felt herself shaking her sister's shoulders, "What the hell are we going to do?" Prue's eyes were still, and no emotion had passed her face since she had cried. "Oh god, Prue!" Piper was hyperventilating. "Don't you dare do this to me!" She could feel her breath quicken, and her throat closing up.

Prue gave her a hard look, "Stop, Piper."

"No! Don't tell me to stop Prue! Just because you can't deal with your own fucking emotions doesn't mean you have to stop me from being human!" Piper felt nails dig into her wrist, and Prue's hand grabbing it hard. She felt she knew Prue well enough to see hurt in her eyes. Any other person would've been scared shitless, but Piper knew her sisters well enough, or at least Prue. "You're human too. This isn't your fault. You can't blame it on yourself, okay? You're only human, only human."

She glared at Piper, but held her hand of her sister's wrist. She flinched a little bit at the tiny droplets of blood she had drawn. She knew Piper hated blood. Her blue eyes were far from stone now, as much as she wanted them to be, and as much as she hated the pool of salty tears forming at the corners of her eyes. "It's okay to cry." Piper's voice was saying, but she couldn't see her face.

Piper hugged her sister, repetitively rubbing her back, "A good cry is better than anything, trust me."

"I-I'm s-sorry, c-c-can you drive?" Prue asked in a broken voice.

"Yeah, don't worry about it sweetie." Piper grinned at her sister, she was proud with herself for getting through to Prue. In all the years of her life, Prue had never taken Piper's advice and opened up, just like she had today.

Prue got out of the drivers seat, realizing that they were still in the driveway of their "home". It wasn't their home anymore, she realized with sorrow. She could've made that argument with Phoebe, but it wouldn't have done any good. At least she had Piper.

Paige hung on to the windowsill, looking as their car made it's way out of the driveway. Her heart sunk slowly, that car, staying there in the driveway was the only thing that stayed the same, her only ray of hope, but it was gone, as well as her help. She was secretly angry with Phoebe for everything. She absolutely hated Phoebe when she was drunk. She closed her eyes and looked out the window once more at the setting sun. She needed to get out. Tossing on a sweatshirt, she ran downstairs, slamming the door behind her. She didn't care if Patty got worried, not that she would; she didn't give a damn.

The air was cold, and didn't hit her lightly as she ran down sidewalks and up hills. The sun was giving off a bright orange glow, slowly descending into the hills and purples of the sky. She wished everything were like the sun. Routine, it was what her family lost. Like clockwork she would get up in the morning, have breakfast with her family, catch the bus to school, come home, do homework, and have dinner. It wasn't like that anymore. Of course, the sun had its imperfections, because some days the clouds covered it, but nevertheless, it still rose. Her breath became short, and her auburn hair hit her face as she ran, but she didn't stop. Ironically, she was running towards the gym. She didn't know how she still had a membership, because the Halliwells hadn't paid that unnecessary bill in months. Maybe the owner knew of 'the accident', it seemed everyone did. Paige could feel people's pity weigh down on her like a ton of bricks. It was another thing she hated about the whole thing. Support was overrated, and almost never shown, it was always pity.

She breathed hard and ran mindlessly. It was about three miles to the gym, and she had run it in record time. She didn't feel the sweat trickle down her head or her heart beating out of control; she was numb.

She ran into the gym, past the receptionist, and right to the bicycles. Her legs were moving again, but she felt like they weren't attached.

"Slow down there." A deep voice said behind her. The voice sounded so familiar to her, but she couldn't recognize it. Paige turned around to a guy about her age, with dirty blond hair, and puppy dog brown eyes. She instantly wanted to turn and run.

"Miles." She said in a voice that screamed out of breath. "Miles Wayner, never thought I'd see you with a weight." She knew that wasn't true, he had built muscles bulging from his shirt, but she hadn't wanted to give him any more reason to be proud.

"You look like you were about to win a triathlon, I'm almost sorry I interrupted you." He smirked, the deep dimple in his chin deepening even more.

"Right." She said, turning back to her bike.

"Paige! Come on, I haven't seen you in forever. Remember, we used to be friends?" He put an impact on the word friends, because as hard as he tried, he could never break through her tough skin, and that was way before 'the accident'. He scoffed, it wasn't like he had let it ruin his life as much as she had, but he would never tell her to her face.

"Right." Paige said again, peddling faster, as if trying to get away from him.

"I can even talk my dad into giving you a chance in school, you know since you've missed so much."

"Miles, bribes can't win a friendship." Paige said, tossing her hair.

"My dad says you have potential. You've just let… stuff affect you too much. You can't let it take over." He said, knowing he was treading deep.

"Can't let it take over? I fight it every freaking day, and it still comes back! My sister still drinks! I still have dreams about it every night! You just let it pass right by you Miles; you didn't care. And you should have. Kelly died because of it. You weren't there so how DARE you say that to me?"

"I wasn't there, you're right about that. But my sister died, I loved her!" Miles felt the fight of tears and pain come back up. "I know she's in a good place now, okay? I've dealt with the fact that she's dead, okay? Me not living my life can't bring anyone back Paige, and I'm sure Kelly knows that."

Paige felt tears, "Tell me that again, when you've gone back to the past and you were there."

**Tbc.. Next time… Piper and Prue's conflict, and Paige and Phoebe have their own spat. Will Patty ever get her act together and help these girls, or will she remain in her veggie shape? Find out next time. Im cheesy, yes!**


	6. Us and Them

**God guys! Thanks for alllll the reviews! They're awesome! I'm running a bit late for something, so I can't thank you separately hopefully I can next week but THANKS, reviewing motivates me so keep it going ;-)**

"Do you remember why we even left in the first place?" Prue chuckled; things were calming down, although there still was some pressure inside of her that was screaming to get out.  
"Yes." Piper rolled her eyes, "And we made such a big deal out of it, as though there would be nothing more dramatic than…" She trailed off looking for the appropriate word.  
"An affair?" Prue offered, with a bitter look in her eyes.  
"Yeah," Piper said. "If it hadn't been for dad, we probably wouldn't be in this position." She looked at Prue who obviously didn't want to talk about it anymore. "Which brings us to, where the hell are we going?" Prue and Piper had switched seats yet again, and Prue seemed to know where she was going.  
"Hotel tonight, and then I'm going to see if we can stay at Andy's."  
"Andy's, really?" Piper said, looking mischievous.  
"Yes, don't make such a federal case out of it either, we're just friends. Although, now I'm not sure, I haven't seen him in months." Prue let out a big sigh, "Let's hope he doesn't surprise us as much as Phoebe and Paige there."

Patty had heard everything. She had heard all the fighting, heard the pain, and the tears. She hadn't done anything. Patty so desperately wanted to wake up and come back to a happy family with her four baby girls. It still amazed her that it was all gone. Her perfect life… Her perfect family in ruins… Nothing that had happened from then on really fazed her, but now her ears were ringing with the yells of her girls. She still couldn't believe that Phoebe had ordered Prue and Piper out. It was hardest to believe that they had actually listened to her, because Prue always took charge.  
She sat up in her dark room and inhaled a breath of stale air. Patty realized that she hadn't been out of her room in a few weeks. The last time she had been out of the room was to get food, but from then on Paige had dutifully brought it to her. Patty didn't know why her youngest did it, because she knew that all her girls hated her for abandoning them. She didn't know whom they hated more, her or their dad, but at least their dad was trying. Patty shook her head at the thought of Victor, whenever she thought of him the words 'dirty' and 'bastard' always came into her mind.  
She sighed and closed her eyes, feeling her oily skin, just thinking of him made her want to take a shower. As unhygienic as it was, she hadn't taken a shower in a week, for fear that her daughters thought she was up for good. She got out of bed, her legs creaking uneasily beneath her, from lack of use.  
Turning on the shower, she could already feel it's calming power, and the steam streaking over her bare skin. Maybe this could be a new start after all, Patty thought.

The sounds of the shower running scared Phoebe out of her mind. Her mother never got up and took a shower anymore, she never moved. Why did everything have to change because her stupid sisters were back? Her mother was the only one there, as Phoebe had seen Paige run to the gym. She had finally stopped being sick in the toilet, at least long enough to see Paige cry while running. Phoebe didn't care about Paige anymore; she didn't give a shit about what Paige thought or what anyone thought. Her life was fine the way it was, and she couldn't have anyone telling her otherwise. Of course, the only voice that actually got to her was the one in her head, constantly telling her that she hated this. She didn't need that though. She sighed as she lay on her bed, trying not to move for fear of more nausea. The phone rang loudly and she cussed, her ears pounding hard. "Goddamn it!" She said, fumbling for the phone. Hardly able to grab it, she ran it up to her face and breathed out, "Who the ... is this?"  
"It's Korey." A voice said.  
"Kor, call back, I'm hung over." Korey was her new boyfriend, the one who didn't care anymore either. He let her do anything.  
"Phoebe, I want you." His voice rumbled into her phone, and she felt sexual tension build up in her body.  
"Korey, please call back. We can do that tomorrow, okay?" She said, falling back into the bed.  
"You promise?"  
"Yeah, yeah." She breathed hard, putting her hand over her head, trying to dull the ache. "I promise." Phoebe whispered and put the phone back in its cradle. Her relationship with Korey was strictly physical, the first guy she had sex with, and she wouldn't ever stop. But she couldn't imagine actually being in love with him, or having any feelings for him. Her headache pounded loudly in her ears, and she tried to block it out, but it kept coming back in. "No, no… Stop…" She muttered. The headache wouldn't stop, and she knew there would be images coming after it.

"We need a room for the night." Prue got right down to business. She slapped down a credit card on the front desk. She could already tell that the motel was going to be sleazy; after all, the name of it was Marty's Sleeps & Eats.  
"One double or two twin beds?" The receptionist yawned and picked at her bubble gum pink nails.  
"Twins." Prue said.  
The receptionist popped her gum before giving them the total amount of a one night stay, "That'll be fifty bucks." She looked down at the MasterCard, "With, credit card." After sliding it through a machine, and having Prue signed, she gave the card back with the key, "Checkout is eleven tomorrow."  
Prue nodded and looked at the key before moving up the stairs with Piper in tow. "And we don't even get to sleep in tomorrow."  
"It's not like we have anything to pack." Piper patted her sister on the back, "We'll just live out of our suitcases for the night." Prue tried to smile. "Come on, Prue, it'll be fun. Like an adventure."  
"It's hardly an adventure," Prue scoffed, she stopped at door number thirteen.  
"I thought motels always skipped that number."  
"Looks like this one isn't too superstitious. I don't blame them. It's all stupid myths." Prue twisted the key, until the lock opened. "Well here we are." She said, pointing to the barely furnished room. The walls were a dirty white, and the floors were linoleum the same color. In the middle of the room were two small beds with scratchy looking green covers. The door to the bathroom was open, but all it had was a toilet and no shower. There was a lone light bulb over the toilet, and no soap next to the sink.  
Piper sat on one of the beds, and lay back on it. "I'd rather sleep on the floor. This feels like I'm sleeping on a rock." She stood up, and the spring whined nosily.  
"Wouldn't wanna sleep on the floor," Prue mused, "There's probably cockroaches."  
"Now there's a happy thought." Piper shivered, she was permanently afraid of bugs.  
"I remember the last time I was this sucky motel." Prue smiled vaguely.  
"When?" Piper asked, running a finger through her hair.  
"Prom night. Andy and I bailed the dance and came here. Although I don't remember it being so uncomfortable." Prue bounced on the bed, in some kind of effort to make it softer.  
"Well, if a double bed is any different… Plus, you probably weren't trying to sleep." Piper gave Prue a little guffaw.  
"Very good, Piper, you get an A." Prue rolled her eyes, and flicked her shoes off her feet. "So what are we going to do?"  
"We could go clubbing and meet cute guys." Piper laughed, Prue did too, knowing that Piper almost never went clubbing.  
"Right… Okay, then." Prue pursed her lips. "One request."  
"Whatever we do decide to do tonight lets not mention what happened earlier. Okay?" Prue dug through her backpack, which wasn't filled with clothes, but important items and body lotions. Actually, she had stuffed a slinky red dress in it, and her favorite shoes.  
"Yeah, definitely," Piper agreed, looking out the window at the lovely site of brick wall.  
"You know what? I want to go to a club. I haven't been in one for a few months now. And Pipe, you can legally drink now. Lets go have some fun." Prue had a mischievous look in her eye.  
"But—Come on Prue, we're tired."  
"Piper, don't be such a baby. We haven't been in club in San Francisco for forever. And don't you remember how the clubs and bars in Camden sucked?" Prue was getting excited, Piper could tell, and Piper didn't want to ruin her fun. This was probably good for both of them; they hadn't been out in a week.  
"You're right. I have no clue how the counselors in the Maine camps had fun." Piper laughed.  
"Well I'm sure that in bigger towns the bars are much better, and less filled with old guys." Prue giggled, "So do you know what you're going to wear?"  
"I don't have anything, I usually borrow from one of you guys." Piper pouted.  
"That's right, we got to get you some of your own clothes, woman." She held up a dark purple dress that exposed one shoulder and covered up the other, "Purple really isn't my color anyhow." Tossing it to Piper, she held up some silvery shoes, "These'll go well."  
"Hey Prue, did you ransack cheesy Prom limited?" Piper asked, eyeing the silky dress. It was quite pretty, just not her usual style.  
"Ah, shut up, you know you like it." Prue held up the low red halter dress and the strappy black shoes. "You change in the bathroom, I'll be out here."  
**  
tbc... ooo looks like a lil clubbing is in hand... Immature audiences beware! lol.**

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	7. The Beast Has Awoken

**Sorry it took so long, but I'm back with a new extra long chapter! Yay! Gotta go, so I cant thank the reviewers personally, but thanks for reviewing! Enjoy!**

"I can't take your cockiness." Paige found herself glaring at Miles yet again. She didn't want to walk home just yet, because as usual she didn't want to be near her family. Paige left the gym, and Miles was following her, trying to get through to her. Of course, he couldn't. If Prue and Piper couldn't, he couldn't.

"I'm not cocky." Miles said, trying to catch up with her fast pace. He had long legs, which meant long strides, but Paige could really walk quickly when she was aggravated. "Let's go out for ice-cream, I'll buy."

"See, there we go. Cocky." Paige kept her head straight

"No, Paige, I just want to have a talk with you." Miles finally caught up to her, huffing and puffing. Miles was the only one who really hadn't changed since the—accident. He had been affected when his sister died, but not enough to change who he was. Paige was afraid to talk to him, because she knew that he would bring it up, but Miles was the kind of person who would get their way or die trying.

That didn't mean that Paige would conform to him though, because she was also one of those people. "Just stop trying Miles." She turned her head, and faced him. He wouldn't stop, not ever, and she knew it.

She found herself being somehow dragged by Miles into the ice-cream store. Going up to the counter, Miles ordered with confidence. "One mocha chocolate chip, and one peppermint swirl," He put his hand up to his mouth as in thought, and then grinned, "With gummy bears on top." Paige pretended to be repulsed, even though it was her favorite ice-cream flavor and topping.

The clerk shrugged and put gummy bears on the peppermint swirl. Paige knew he had seen worse, because Prue was one of the only people she knew who liked Pistachio nut with caramel.

Paige was about to get her wallet out, but Miles beat her to it, suavely handing the money to the clerk. He took her arm, and dragged her over to the seats. "Here you are, miss." He stayed standing, setting Paige's peppermint swirl in front of her. "Now you can choose to eat with me, or alone."

She started to stay alone, but stopped herself. The guy _did_ buy her ice cream. She could probably repay him by sitting with him. "Fine. Sit with me."

"Thanks Paige." He plopped down across from her on the booth. "And how did I know your favorite ice cream flavor? I'm psychic huh?"

"No, you've just bought me ice cream before." Paige licked the edges of her ice, getting it all over her mouth. She had never been a neat ice cream eater, and never planned to be.

"Exactly, which is what I mean by friends."

"You sure about this Prue?" Piper said, coming out in the dress. The purple material fell just right around her small curves, and her hair was up in chopsticks.

"Of course, you look gorgeous." Prue motioned for Piper to come near, and Prue applied a light reddish neutral tone to Piper's lips, which made them look a bit more vibrant, and still natural. "Seriously." Prue said, looking at her finished work of beauty.

Prue herself was wearing the dress, her black hair down, with a rouge lipstick that wasn't dark enough to be alarming, but fit her lips. Her black heels finished off the look. They both looked the best they could, for a place with no shower. "We need to get out or we'll rot."

Piper smoothed her dress, and looked in the scratched bathroom mirror. She felt a nervous jump of her heart. Every time she went to a club, she felt like her body was on showcase, making her self conscious, and disgusted at the measures some guys would take to be with her. All she really ended up doing was drinking until she was so drunk she couldn't think anymore. Her silky hair looked good up, and her brown eyes had just enough eyeliner around them, but she still didn't feel assured.

"Come on, Pipe, let's go." Prue had always been overly confident in whatever she did. When there was a challenge, she took it and seized it, while Piper wasn't so sure. Prue took her sister's arm, and lead her out of the motel, and into the car.

Prue turned on the car radio full blast, and looked energized and happy. Piper smiled at her, but still nervous to go to the club.

"Ooo remember that place we went to a few years back?" Prue asked; making sure her black hair didn't get pushed out of place by the wind.

"What place?"

"Oh god, I'm trying to think of the name. The bar tenders were so cute!" Prue scratched her head, and Piper looked like she was trying to remember.

"Aren't the bar tenders always cute? Be more descriptive, honey." Piper gave Prue her trademark sarcasm smile, and leaned back in the black seats of the car.

"Right. Well, these bar tenders were _especially_ cute, and the club also had pizza."

"Fancy shmancy." Piper rolled her eyes.

"Uhhh, what was it called? Willy's? West club? I don't know…"

"Are you talking about Warren's?" Piper asked.

Prue raised her eyebrows, "Yes that's it."

"I think it was in the inner East Bay."

"Yeah, it was… Oh, I remember now." Prue turned the car around and sped up.

"How is it, Prue, that you always remember directions perfectly?"

Prue shrugged, and turned up the music even louder. She smiled and shook to the beat of the music, and anyone else would think that she was content. But for Piper, it was too obvious that Prue wasn't having a good time.

Paige swore as she got home. She hadn't laughed in such a long time. She had never remembered feeling that good.

"Paige?" Someone was talking to her. The voice that once made her feel so at home, stirred up latent anger hiding deep within her. She looked at her mother, who was standing there, her too big nightdress replaced with jeans and a t-shirt.

"Mom. W-what's going on?" Paige stopped in her tracks; this wasn't supposed to happen, it never should've happened.

"Oh sweetheart, I'm… I'm, so sorry?"

"Sorry for what?" Paige snapped, "Abandoning us, and then suddenly coming back, when your super daughters come back? The daughters you love so much more, because they're oh SO responsible, and they don't break down properly like normal people. They're not trouble makers like me and Phoebe." She started to walk away from her mother, but she stopped. "Heh, I want to know what you have to say to me after all this."

"No, I need to be myself again. And it wasn't because Prue and Piper came back; it was what they said that convinced me. I'm so sorry for not being there in this time, but what with your father…"

"Do you even think I care about dad anymore? Hell, I should care about him more, because he didn't loose all faith in us. At least he comes back. But you- you were in the same house as us, and it was like you weren't even there. You're just as bad as him, and you know it. Maybe worse. Let's speak the truth; you're a bad mother." Paige could see that she had wounded Patty. She had a stung expression on her face, and suddenly looked a lot smaller. Paige was taller than her in the first place, but now it was like her authority over her daughters had been shot down. But, she continued speaking, "You can't just come back now. Just like Piper and Prue can't come back. They left us to rot, and so did you. You have no right to think you're better than them, because at least they didn't know what was going on." She paused, "I'm used to this life, I like it now."

Patty had tears in her eyes as she tried again. She looked at the angry eyes that mirrored her own. "You can't say you like this life, Paige. I can help you make it better; we can be a family again. Sweetie, I love you, and I know all those things you just told me are true. B-but, I need to ask you for another chance. I love you girls so much. You're my life, with Victor and you all gone, I have nothing."

Paige still had venom to say, but tried to restrain herself. "Get a job and support us, like a normal parent should. My after school job can't pay the bills, and neither can dad and Grams's monthly checks. That's the only reason I will ever need you." She stalked off to her room, without looking back.

Patty knew what she had to do know, and it started by winning back Prue and Piper.

"Hey cutie, you wanna dance?" A short guy with dyed red hair winked at Piper, and grabbed her butt. "You know, you really are some piece of ass."  
Piper looked around in terror for Prue, but she wasn't in sight. "Please, get away."

"I can't let a pretty gal like you slip out of my reach," He smiled seductively, or what he thought was seductive anyway.

Piper closed her eyes, "Stop it, you jerk," She said, very quietly.

"A jerk huh?" He was still smiling, grabbing her butt, while she tried to slip away.

Now a tall sandy haired guy was in the picture, "Stop it buddy, leave her alone."

The red haired man looked angry, "No! You leave us alone! She and I are an item."

"She really doesn't look like she wants to be with you," He chuckled.

Piper thought it was time to step in, "No, actually we're not. I'd much rather choke on a flea then dance with him." It was a little bit of an absurd statement, but she was proud of herself. She really had never done that before, but somehow she had gotten the courage to do it.

He smiled at her, and looked down at the red haired man, "Well, you heard her buddy, it's been decided, and you're kicked off the island."

The red haired man walked away muttering, "She wasn't really that hot anyways."

Now Piper's new protective knight smiled charmingly. "Now then, would you like to dance?"

"That depends," Piper said, uneasily.

"I promise you, I'm not like that guy. But to prove it, we will introduce ourselves to each other. Ladies first." She looked at his face, to make sure he wasn't bluffing. But his turquoise eyes sparkled, and his hair was perfect, and she already was falling for him.

"Piper Halliwell, and you are?"

"Leo Wyatt. Piper's a very interesting name," He said.

Piper rolled her eyes, "I know, I know."

"No, I think it's beautiful."

"Well," She said laughing, "You're the first one who's ever said that. Even my mother regrets naming me it."

"Aw," He said, "Well it isn't like Leonardo's any better."

"I'd have to agree with you there," Piper snorted, suddenly feeling annoyed at how unladylike she was being.

"Hey, you're supposed to say it's very handsome."

A slow song suddenly started playing, and Piper was grateful for the music. Dancing to hard rock would've been harder.

Leo offered his hand to Piper gallantly, "May I have this dance?" Piper nodded, not able to swipe the smile from her face.

Piper had been dancing with Leo for a while, and she still hadn't seen Prue. "One second," She told Leo, who nodded. She searched the bathrooms, and one of the back rooms.

She came upon a couple making out very passionately against the wall. She was about to be disgusting, and scream, 'get a room', but then she saw whom it was. "Prue! What the hell are you doing?"

Prue looked away guiltily from her god smacked man. "Ummm, I was having fun?" She panted.

"Fun?" Piper rolled her eyes, "But what about Andy?"

"Pipe, lighten up, I came here to have fun, no strings attached. I'm twenty-three now, a big girl. Sorry, but I can't be bossed around by my little sis." Prue smiled to show that she was joking, but the guy was still holding her butt. Prue looked at him, "Excuse me, can't you see I'm trying to have a conversation?" She shooed him away, "Sorry, but the moment's over, I'll find you later."

He nodded, and left the room. Prue rolled her eyes, watching him leave; "He was probably hoping to score with me tonight."

"Isn't that what all guys hope for?" Piper asked, watching Prue smooth out her hair, and apply new lipstick.

"Most likely. Even really sweet guys like Andy are sex-hungry."

"That makes me feel so much better." Piper sighed.

"Why?"

"I met a really sweet guy…" Piper started.

"And you don't want sex with him just yet," Prue finished, "I know, I know, don't worry. So what's his name?"

"Leo. Prue, you know I'm not the type to have a one night stand."

"Stop assuming, and just see what his intentions are." Prue said, smiling at her reflection in the mirror. "Come on," She said, dragging Piper. "Let's go dance some more."

**Man, I'm kinda mad that I didn't leave it as a cliffie :'(**


End file.
